Wednesday Apple Rumors: New iPads to Debut on Oct. 22

by Christopher Freeburn | October 9, 2013 1:04 pm

Wednesday Apple Rumors: New iPads to Debut on Oct. 22

[1]Here are your Apple rumors[2] and AAPL news items for today:

Event: Sources tell AllThingsD that Apple (AAPL[3]) will unveil updated tablets at a special media event in a couple of weeks[4]. The event, scheduled for Oct. 22, is expected to reveal its much-anticipated next generation iPad, dubbed the iPad 5. Apple is also rumored to be planning the introduction of its new, stylish Mac Pro, which was first previewed at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June, and its updated Mac operating system, OS X Mavericks. It remains unclear if an updated iPad Mini will be shown off at the event. Recent rumors indicate that Apple doesn’t have enough Retina screens available to support the expected launch of a Retina iPad Mini until early next year. The iPad 5 will reportedly borrow design elements from the iPad Mini, featuring thinner bezels, while shedding weight and thickness. The upcoming invitation-only media event will likely be held at either the company’s Cupertino, Calif., headquarters — where the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c were unveiled last month — or at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.

More Territory: The iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c are about to launch in a number of new nations[5], AppleInsider notes. The iPhones, which were launched in the U.S., China, Australia, United Kingdom, France and Germany last month will arrive in 35 other countries in two weeks and 16 more at the beginning of next month. On October 25, the iPhones will launch in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, French West Indies, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Reunion Island, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan and Thailand. On Nov. 1, the iPhones hit Albania, Armenia, Bahrain, Columbia, El Salvador, Guam, Guatemala, India, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

Signal: Apple is looking to hire an engineer[6] with experience working with China Mobile‘s (CHL[7]) wireless network, Bloomberg notes. The iPhone-maker has posted the job ad on its Chinese website. The ad is seen as yet another hint that Apple is moving toward a deal with the world’s largest wireless carrier. Apple has long had deals with smaller rivals China Unicom (CHU[8]) and China Telecom (CHA[9]), but China Mobile has resisted its contractual demands. Over the summer, Tim Cook traveled to China reportedly to meet with China Mobile executives to speed final negotiations of a deal. The announcement of a deal to finally bring the iPhone to China Mobile has been expected since September, but has not yet happened. China Mobile was recently rumored to be preparing posters promoting the iPhone’s launch on its network.

For more about the company, check out our previous Apple Rumors[10] stories.